This week in Tampa: Jingle Ball 2010, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and more

Hello. It is I, your humble Soundcheck editor, and this week I'll be the one telling you where to go and what to listen to this week. It's pretty easy, actually -- just head to the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa on Sunday for the second annual Jingle Ball megaconcert, featuring Train, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Enrique Iglesias, B.o.B., Mike Posner and The Ready Set. Click here for all the details on that show.

And then there's Vince Gill and Amy Grant, above. Why am I always the one who ends up writing about Vince Gill? Is it because I look just like him? I mean, even Vince himself thinks so. It seems that we'll always be connected at the hip, one writer who looks like a country star, and one country star who looks like a writer. C'est la vie.

On with this week's concert picks...

Vince Gill and Amy Grant SATURDAY 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $59.50-$111. (727) 791-7400. Nothing says a classic country Christmas like a trip to sunny F-L-A. This month, the Family Gill is bringing their fifth holiday tour, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” to a handful of cities in the Southeast, including Clearwater, Sarasota, Melbourne and Fort Myers. Unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately, depending on your level of tolerance for the song Jingle Bells — you won’t get to hear most of their hits, as the couple’s Christmas shows tend to feature, y’know, Christmas music. And Grant and Gill have a lot of it — they’ve released a dozen holiday albums between them.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra SATURDAY 3 and 8 p.m. St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa. $25-$57. (813) 301-6500; stpetetimesforum.com. For Trans-Siberian Orchestra, early December must be like early April at your local H&R Block: Busy, busy, busy. But at least you know you’ll never be hurting for work. The prog-rockin’ Christmas-light spectacularists are one of the world’s top-grossing acts, and they have roots in Central Florida. Founder Paul O’Neill, who lives part-time in the Orlando suburbs, founded around the local metal band Savatage, starring local metal guru Jon Oliva. When the orchestra explodes into their most recognizable tune, Wizards in Winter, it may just inspire you to create your own mind-bending yard light display.

XL106.7 XL’ent Xmas 2010With Paramore, Maroon 5, Train, The Script, Enrique Iglesias, B.o.B., Bruno Mars, Paper Tongues Jay Sean, Hot Chelle Rae, Charise, A Rocket to the MoonSUNDAY 6 p.m., MONDAY-TUESDAY 7 p.m. House of Blues Orlando, 1490 E Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista. $40-$65. (407) 934-2583.Sure, you’re excited about 93.3-FLZ’s Jingle Ball, Sunday at the St. Pete Times Forum. But it’s not the only radio-backed concert worth watching this weekend. Orlando’s XL106.7 is stretching its own year-end show over three days, and in addition to hosting many of the same artists who are performing at the Jingle Ball — Train, Enrique Iglesias, Maroon 5 — they’re adding acts like Paramore, Paper Tongues and Jay Sean. If you can’t make it to Sunday’s Jingle Ball, consider this your backup plan.

Crowbar Fourth Anniversary Party With Spam Allstars, Solillaquists of Sound, ArtOfficial, Soft Rock RenegadesSATURDAY 9 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $15. (813) 241-8600. Has it been four years already? Since opening, Crowbar has been a haven for indie-leaning Yborites, bringing in indie (and some mainstream) rock groups like OK Go, Apples In Stereo, A-Trak, Junior Boys, Josh Kelley and the late Jay Reatard. Local artists are always welcome, and the venue still holds regular metal shows and a weekly hip-hop open mic. This party is sure to be hopping, with the Latin-fusion jams of venue regulars Spam Allstars, who come from Miami’s Little Havana, and the jazzy hip-hop beats of Solillaquists of Sound, ArtOfficial and Soft Rock Renegades.

Craig MorganFRIDAY 3:30 p.m. MacDill Air Force Base (Hangar 3). Free, but open only to military ID card holders and families. (813) 828-1445. MacDill Air Force Base is turning into a Redneck Yacht Club this holiday season. Hitmaker Craig Morgan (Little Bit of Life, That’s What I Love About Sunday) will play this free “Toast to the Troops” USO show for military personnel and families. We don’t know if MacDill has an International Harvester tucked away among all those jets, but we think they should bring one in just for the occasion.

Allstar Weekend With Stephen Jerzak, The Scene Aesthetic and Action ItemFRIDAY 6 p.m. Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. $15-$39. (727) 791-7400. Some might say it’s a little premature to call young San Diego rock group Allstar Weekend “sensations.” But their dreamy haircuts beg to differ. And they have a built-in Disneyfied audience, finishing second a Radio Disney’s NBT: Next Big Thing contest in 2009. Their sound may not excite anyone who’s had enough of the dancey synths 'n’ guitars proffered by most pop-rock bands on the Warped Tour, but oh, sigh ... those haircuts. Squeal!

The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn BandSUNDAY 8 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $10. (813) 241-8600. Is the Rev. Peyton a real man of the cloth? Well, in spiritual terms, he probably falls somewhere between Rev. Run (a real reverend) and the Reverend Horton Heat (a real psychobilly). This much we know: He’s married to his bandmate and washboardist Breezy Peyton, and together — along with drummer Aaron Persinger — the Indiana group produces country-blues that’s rusty, nasty and soulful enough to earn the band gigs both on the Warped Tour and at WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave. The band ain’t so damn big, you see, but their sound sure is. And no matter your spiritual affiliation, you might just feel born again after being baptized in the sounds of the South, courtesy of the good right reverend. Hallelujah!

Madball With Bitter End, LionheartFRIDAY 6:30 p.m. Orpheum, 1902 Republica de Cuba Ave., Ybor City. $12.50. (813) 248-9500. Led by acid-throated frontman Freddy Cricien, New York City hardcore legends Madball — which spawned from the even more legendary Agnostic Front —has scorched stages across the country for more than 20 years. Fun fact: For part of this year, their drummer was Jay Weinberg, son of famed E Streeter (and Conan’s former drummer) Max Weinberg. Perhaps not surprisingly, he and Cricien didn’t exactly get along.

ZoSo and SatisfactionFRIDAY Jannus Live, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. Free. (727) 565-0551. Let’s be honest: It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones will embark on a tour of small venues anytime soon. Thankfully, we have this free show Friday at Jannus Live, featuring two of the top Led Zep and Ro Sto (okay, that one didn’t quite work) cover bands in the land. The L.A. Times called ZoSo “head and shoulders above all other Zeppelin tributes.” Wonder what Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience thinks of that?